The management of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust and other titles, condemn the reprehensible actions of Femi Fani-Kayode, who in a video clip now gone viral, verbally assaulted – repeatedly – our reporter, Eyo Charles in the course of doing his job.
The encounter occurred in Calabar, Cross River State, in the morning of Thursday 20, August 2020 at a hotel, during a roundtable with invited journalists.
During the roundtable, Charles asked Fani-Kayode who was bankrolling his recent trips around Nigeria, to which the ex-minister responded with a raised voice, insults, and eventually a threat to inflict bodily harm on our reporter.
The barrage continued for some minutes, while bewildered journalists, including our reporter, looked on.
The video clip, also released on one of the ex-minister’s social media accounts, was conveniently edited to exclude the question asked by Charles, totally devoid of mischief, simply sought clarification and information, like good journalism should.
Said editing paved the way for a social media lynch mob to rain expletives on our reporter, labelling him as ‘rude’.
This could not be further away from the truth, and we stand by Charles, and commend him for his calmness during the ordeal.
Daily Trust reporters are responsible professionals, who uphold the tenets of journalism, as well as best practices.
That Fani-Kayode attacks a reporter doing his job, is an indication of the chilling disregard he has towards the media, and its work in investigating and reporting on issues.
As always, we stand in solidarity with our reporters, and will continue to fight for the rights of all journalists. After all, journalism is part of the bedrock of democracy; therefore practitioners must not be intimidated or threatened as they carry out their work.
We urge the Nigeria Police to take note, that if anything happens to Charles, Daily Trust will hold Fani-Kayode responsible, especially due to the intensity of the verbal threats he issued during the shocking incident.
The actions of Fani-Kayode are not only reprehensible, but also constitute a setback to press freedom, in a most dire form.
This kind of assault raises major concerns over the safety of journalists in Nigeria.
Daily Trust is a completely independent media organisation that does not pander to the whims of any individual or group, no matter how powerful or well-placed in society.
We will continue to serve Nigerians – and indeed the world – with quality, reliable reportage, no matter whose ox is gored.
Signed
Naziru Mikailu Abubakar
Executive Director/Editor-in-Chief
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Nigeria’s Economy Shrank By 6.10% In Q2 2020 — NBS
NIGERIA’S Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in real terms declined by -6.10 per cent (year-on-year) in Q2 2020, thereby ending the three-year trend of low but positive real growth rates recorded since the 2016/17 recession. This is according to the second quarter (Q2) GDP report, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. When compared with Q2 2019, which recorded a growth of 2.12 per cent, the Q2 2020 growth…
Mailafia Sues Police, Shuns Invitation
FORMER deputy director, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadiah Mailafia, has taken the Nigeria Police before the Plateau State High Court, asking the court to restrain the police from inviting him to appear before the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Force Investigation Department, Police Headquarters, Abuja. After two consecutive invitations and interrogation by the Department of State Services (DSS) over his…
My Four Weeks Battle With COVID-19 —Segun Awolowo
While many people still express the belief that COVID-19 is just hype, the executive director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Segun Awolowo, while narrating his four weeks battle with the virus, has called on people to take the virus seriously, be conscious of the infection and follow laid down preventive measures, adding that fear is the real killer for infected people. Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare reports…
Mali Junta Wants 3-Year Military Rule, Agrees To Free President
THE junta that seized power in Mali wants a military-led transitional body to rule for three years and has agreed to release ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, a source in a visiting West African delegation said Sunday. “The junta has affirmed that it wants a three-year transition to review the foundations of the Malian state. This transition will be directed by a body led by a soldier, who will also be head of state,” a source in the…
and then